The Big Bang Theory’s Soft Kitty Song Controversy Explained

The Big Bang Theory’s Soft Kitty Song Controversy Explained

The Big Bang Theory fans know Soft Kitty from Sheldon, but the song has an ugly history as, according to a lawsuit, it may have been plagiarized.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

The Big Bang Theory’s Soft Kitty Song Controversy Explained

The Big Bang Theory’s popular “Soft Kitty” song was hit with a copyright lawsuit since the series never obtained permission to use it. Introduced by Sheldon (Jim Parsons) in the sitcom, he claimed that it’s a children’s song that his mother usually sang to him when he was ill. Throughout The Big Bang Theory’s 12-season run, the genius but socially-inept character asked some of his friends to perform the tune for him.

In The Big Bang Theory season 1, episode 11, “The Pancake Batter Anomaly,” “Soft Kitty” debuted when Sheldon forced Penny (Kaley Cuoco) to sing the song when he caught the cold. Knowing that it comforted her friend, Penny took it upon herself to sing it a few more times later, whenever Sheldon was feeling down in an attempt to cheer him up. By season 8, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny used it as a lullaby in the hopes of putting their friend to sleep after refusing to go to bed. The last time “Soft Kitty” was performed in the show was in season 10 when Amy (Mayim Bialik) sang the song to her stressed boyfriend in three different languages – English, German, Mandarin.

Young Sheldon – The Big Bang Theory’s prequel spin-off – has actually shown Mary (Zoe Perry) singing this to the boy genius, backing up the character’s claim in the original series. While neither show has confirmed where it originated, the main idea was that it was an original creation for The Big Bang Theory. However, the song’s tune came from a 19th century Polish lullaby called “Wlazł kotek na płotek” about a kitten on a fence, written by Oskar Kolberg and composed by Stanisław Moniuszko. The contemporary version of the song, on the other hand, is known as “Warm Kitty”, written by Edith Newlin. It appeared in a book titled Songs for the Nursery School first published in 1937 by the Kentucky-based Willis Music. This was where the controversy surrounding The Big Bang Theory’s “Soft Kitty” began.

See also  Every Nightmare On Elm Street Movie Climax Ranked From Worst To Best

In December 2015, Newlin’s estate headed by her daughters Margaret Perry and Ellen Chase filed a copyright lawsuit against Warner Bros., Chuck Lorre Productions, CBS, Turner Broadcasting, and Fox for the supposedly illegal use of their mother’s work. Aside from using the song on the show, CBS also had a string of tie-in merchandise including Soft Kitty T-shirts, plush toys, key chains, coffee mugs, and hoodies – taking advantage of its popularity.

According to Perry and Chase, they believed they were owed compensation for The Big Bang Theory’s use of the “Warm Kitty” lyrics, emphasizing that they held its copyright and did not authorize anyone to use said lyrics. When asked why it took long for them to raise the issue given that “Soft Kitty” had been used in The Big Bang Theory since season 1 (with the song first being used in the show in 2008), they claimed that they didn’t watch the sitcom, so they never knew that it was using their mother’s work until they came across a blog post about it. Meanwhile, Willis Music countered by insisting that the song was properly and legal licensed to Warner Bros. for The Big Bang Theory.

The case dragged on for a couple of years until a final verdict was made in March 2017, where a U.S. District Court judge dismissed the suit, explaining that the plaintiffs simply weren’t able to prove that they held the copyright to Newlin’s lyrics. Citing section 24 of the Copyright Act of 1909, the judge said that it was “hardly a model of clarity” as Willis Music’s registration renewal in 1964 for Songs for the Nursery School did not include Newlin’s copyrights for “Warm Kitty”. Interestingly, however, even if CBS won the case, the song had never been more prominently used in both The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon – with both shows only featuring it once after the debacle.

See also  Sony Reduces PS5 Supply Expectation for Fiscal Year

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/big-bang-theory-sheldon-soft-kitty-song-lawsuit-controversy/

Movies -